Here Are 9 of the Most Ancient Surviving Photographs Known to Man

Most of us have an iPhone or a really high tech camera (or even both!), so at times, we tend to take the fact that we can photograph anything and at any point in time, for granted. Back when cameras started appearing, people had to sit still for a full minute while the photograph was being taken. The quality was very bad, and it would take quite some time for the photo to develop. So thank your lucky stars you live in the today, but take a second to appreciate your history too with these 9 ancient photographs.

#1. This is the first known photograph of Wilmington taken on a daguerreotype

#2. A photograph of John Quincy Adams

#3. A photograph of First and Oakland from the ‘Howdy Neighbor’ section of an unidentified 1942 Columbus newspaper

#.4 Possibly the world’s first selfie of Robert Cornelius, an American photography pioneer

#5. View from the window at Le Gras, the world’s first photograph by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826

#6. Andrew Leyden with his right and left hand men

#7. Boulevard du Temple, a daguerreotype taken by Louis Daguerre

#8. Calotype print showing American photographer Frederick Langenheim

#9. Dorothy Catherine Draper, John Draper’s sister

While this gave me new appreciation for my iPhone, I still think these photos were absolutely stunning for their time. Share with your friends 🙂